Skyrim: Secrets of the Moon
by theoneandonlylordmonkeyknight
Summary: When rescuing the next Sybil of Dibella, the Dragonborn encounters a woman who can remember nothing but her name. T for language and death. Rights to Bethesda and HASBRO respectively. Thanks to REM for the cover picture.
1. Memory Lost, Companionship Gained

**Chapter One: Memory Lost, Companionship Gained**

* * *

Luna awoke with a gasp, her eyes flying open. Her surroundings were unfamiliar; the iron bars did not comfort her. She could feel the cold of the stone floor and wall against bare skin. Luna looked down at herself to better evaluate her situation. Midnight blue hair flowed down past her shoulders, the hair glistening as though it contained some ethereal power. Her body was covered in a ragged dress, which stopped halfway down her upper legs. Ragged footwraps covered her two feet. She reached out to feel the material, and stopped, staring at her hand in a bewildered fashion. Luna raised her other hand up to the first. For some reason, it felt as though she was not supposed to have these. Shaking herself mentally, she examined her skin. It had a tanned tone, and was smooth, with no freckles or hair. She also took notice of the sizeable mounds hiding beneath the dress.

This all felt very strange to Luna, who could not get rid of the feeling that something was wrong. She looked around the cell, and saw a little girl sleeping on a pile of hay. Luna considered waking the girl when a door at the end of the room swung open. A heavily built man wearing armor walked in, a sword strapped to his side, and a sneer on his face.

"So, you're the one my men found outside the redoubt." Luna didn't respond, for a distortion in the air behind the man had caught her attention, and even if it hadn't, she felt nothing compelling her to answer him. "None of us know who you are, which means you're only useful in one way." He leered at Luna, a lecherous look spreading across his face. Luna's lip curled, her disgust evident. "Oh, come on. Don't look like that. One night with me and you'll be begging-" The man was cut off as the distortion disappeared, revealing a bipedal lizard in hooded, black leather armor. The lizard forced the man's head to the side, and then sunk his fangs into the man's neck. After a moment, the lizard released the man, and before the man could turn around, the lizard drew a saber and thrust it through the man's chest. The lizard removed the saber, multicolored energies flowing from the man into the lizard. Luna turned her head, sickened, but at the same time, grateful that the lizard had killed the man before he had done what he had been suggesting. The lizard searched the corpse, coming up with some lockpicks, a few pieces of gold, and the key to Luna and the girl's cell. He moved quickly, unlocking the cell door. By this point, the girl had woken.

"Who...who are you?" she asked. "Why are you here?"

"Your father sent me. He didn't mention that the Forsworn had captured another woman, though." The lizard looked at Luna, tilting his head like a curious dog. His voice was raspy, and yet smooth at the same time. "What is your name, Breton?" Luna blinked at the strange word, and couldn't help but feel like she should know it. She considered answering the lizard. He killed a man - possibly many others as well; "Forsworn" sounded plural - but at the same time, he was here to rescue this girl. Besides, he seemed nice enough.

"My name is Luna. I-" She stopped. It was then that a realization hit her. Her name was all she knew. Her eyes began to tear up, and a sob escaped her lips. "I-I don't remember anything!" Luna's sobs grew, and the tears began to flow freely. The lizard raised his right hand, which became infused with a green light. He clenched his fist, and the light pulsated. The lizard then thrust his hand forward, palm out, and a ball of energy the same color as the light lanced out, surging towards Luna. It struck her, and her sobs quieted. Her tears stopped, though she still had to wipe her eyes.

"Better?" the lizard asked. Luna nodded. It was a peculiar feeling, she decided, as she was still upset, but some unknown bravery overpowered the negative emotions, allowing her to focus on the situation at hand. "Good. My name is Mikal. I am here to help, nothing more." Mikal stood aside, permitting the girl to leave the cell. Luna rose shakily, her legs weak. She managed to stand, but when Luna attempted a step, she pitched forwards. Mikal caught her, his scales surprisingly smooth. The black clad lizard helped her stand again, and then handed Luna a green bottle. "Drink that. Your stamina will return quickly." She did so, gagging a bit at the taste, and strength immediately flooded her body. She tried walking again, and succeeded. Mikal had gone back to the corpse, and was again searching it. This time, he took an ornamentally carved knife, pale gold in color. He tossed it into the air, causing it to flip, and caught it by the blade so that the hilt was facing Luna. "Take it. You'll need a weapon until we can restore your knowledge of magicks." Luna tentatively took the knife, hoping she wouldn't have to use it. Satisfied, Mikal turned to the girl. "Stay with Luna. Do not, under any circumstances, leave her side unless I tell you to. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Now then," Mikal said. "Let's get out of here. Your father is anxious to see you again, and he's not the only one wishing you to return safely." At that, the girl's eyes lit up, joyous at the thought of seeing her papa again. Mikal led the two out of the room, his saber drawn and ready. Electricity crackled in his left hand, and he walked in a crouch. Luna and the girl mimicked him. As they went, they encountered more corpses, some of them female. At one of the female corpses, Mikal stopped and sized up the body, comparing it to Luna's. He then stripped the armor off the corpse.

"What are you doing?" Luna asked. Wordlessly, the lizard turned to her, the dead Forsworn's armor in his arms. He extended the armor to Luna. She stared, mollified at what he was suggesting.

"I know you don't like it, but I have no other armor on me, especially none that fit you. I can and will make you a better, proper set of armor, but until then...please. I've seen too many good friends die because they weren't properly protected." Luna hesitated, but conceded defeat, and took the armor from him. Mikal turned around, averting his gaze, and Luna removed the rags she was wearing. She slowly put the Forsworn Armor on, grimacing all the while. When she struggled with a piece, the girl helped her. Finally the armor was on, and Luna said so to Mikal. He turned back to the two, gave Luna a once over, and nodded in approval. "Perfect. Now come," he said, crouching again. "We need to leave before more Forsworn arrive." And so they went, lightning dancing in Mikal's palm, and the saber glowing a deep blood-red. Eventually, the trio arrived at the main entrance. Mikal slowly opened the door, peering out, then swung the door open, standing up and walking out. Luna and the girl both followed suit, both ecstatic at being free again. Once they were all outside, Mikal took one last look around, taking in the cool night air. Satisfied that he could see no enemies, the lizard grinned at his companions, opened his mouth, and-

-let loose a cry of pain as a Forsworn arrow pierced his armor and sprouted from his shoulder. He cursed, fumbling for the arrow. He had been careless, he should have looked up, he should have been more observant, he should have - the arrow! Grasping the arrow, he wrenched it out of his shoulder, grunting at the slight pain.

"Do you know where Karthwasten is from here?" The girl nodded, fear in her eyes. "Then run! Take Luna with you. I'll deal with these bastards." The girl grabbed Luna's hand and started running for her home. Luna stumbled at first; running was new. She quickly found her balance and kept pace with the girl, hoping that Mikal would be alright.

* * *

Mikal watched the girls run off, then faced the Forsworn, who were standing at the top of a cliff in front of Broken Tower Redoubt, shouting curses at him. He would've scaled the cliffside or shot at them, but they would have scattered by then, and he had not brought his crossbow or Auriel's Bow with him. Besides, he had seen enough of the Forsworn for today.

" **You fools!** " he shouted, letting the Thu'um carry his voice without any power...yet. " **You do not know whom you challenge. Leave now, or suffer the consequences!** " The Forsworn laughed and jeered at Mikal, believing themselves out of his reach. The Argonian smirked, and let the power of the Thu'um flow through him. He Shouted, and raw, elemental fury erupted from his maw in three words:

" **Strun Bah Qo!** "

Above them, the clouds swirled and thickened, growing dark. Lightning crackled and jumped from cloud to cloud. The Forsworn watched the skies nervously, and began to back away from the edge of the cliff. Mikal began sprinting in the direction Luna and Fjotra had gone. Storm Call was one of his more powerful Shouts, and while he had never been directly harmed by it, the debris sent flying from the destruction was another story. Behind him, the group of Forsworn began to flee to no avail, as nothing short of Armageddon rained down on them in the form of a lightning storm. Each pillar of lightning that struck the ground was thicker than the trunk of the Eldergreen and hotter than the surface of the sun. The Forsworn never made it back to their camping grounds.

Once he was a good distance away, Mikal turned back to watch the carnage. Brilliant white bolts of sheer power continued to drop from the sky, and would continue to do so for awhile. The Argonian chuckled; even after exercising his Thu'um many times, he was still amazed by what it could do. He shook his head in amusement, and then placed two fingers to his mouth. Mikal let out a sharp, piercing whistle, and Shadowmere, faithful as ever, answered instantly, galloping out of the shadows.

"Good boy," he crooned, stroking Shadowmere's muzzle. Shadowmere blinked and shook his mane, accepting the praise. "I met someone new today, Shadowmere. You'd like her." Shadowmere snorted, causing the Argonian to sigh. "Yes, yes, I know. You make your own judgments." Mikal climbed on top of Shadowmere, settling into the saddle. "Let's go, boy. I do not want to return to Markarth empty-handed. He flicked the reins, and Shadowmere took off, adopting a steady gait. Mikal leaned forwards and whispered their destination in Shadowmere's ear. Shadowmere snorted and shook his head, acknowledging the command. Exhausted, Mikal slumped in the saddle. He dozed off, knowing that Shadowmere wouldn't let him fall. The dark horse trotted on, never tiring, eyes and ears alert for any sign of danger. Far, far above them, a serpentine figure flew on mismatched wings.

"So this is where that thing sent Lulu. An interesting world, to be sure. So much chaos! Perhaps I'll stay and watch a while longer…" The figure flew on, following the horse and rider to the woman who knew nothing but her name.

* * *

Murky black water swirled around islands of books, the occasional Lurker surfacing to try and nab a Seeker. Above them, a grotesque mass of tentacles with a single eye stared at nothing in that world, and at the Argonian rider in his own.

" _Soon...the secrets of the moon will be mine!_ "

* * *

 _A/N: For clarification: Mikal is wearing the Blackguard Armor you can find in the Dragonborn DLC, and is using Harkon's Sword from the Dawnguard DLC. The Hearthfire DLC will be used as well. Thank you for your time._

 _Shout(s) used: -Storm Call_


	2. Power of the Moons

**Chapter Two: Power of the Moons**

* * *

Luna and the girl ran until they could run no more, both of them gasping for breath. Luna looked back at where they had left Mikal and was surprised at how far they'd gone. The swirling clouds did worry her, though she didn't know why. She turned back to the girl and saw her breathing had steadied.

"Are you ready to go on?" she asked. The girl nodded.

"My village isn't too far from here. Come on!" The two continued up the path, walking now. Luna looked up at the sky, marveling at the stars, moons, and shimmering ribbon of color...which made her wonder where that mass of clouds over the redoubt had come from. She was shaken from her thoughts when the girl called out to her. "Hurry, Luna! I can see Karthwasten!" Luna couldn't help but smile. The girl was so joyous compared to before that she seemed an entirely different person. Luna ran to catch up to the girl. When they reached Karthwasten, Luna looked around at the empty village.

Three houses and other buildings formed a semicircle, and up the hill was what appeared to be an entrance to a mine. At first she wondered where everyone was, then remembered; it was late, of course the residents would be inside. The girl ran up to a house standing in between the other two houses. Before Luna could stop her, the girl knocked on the house's door four times. While the girl was waiting for an answer, Luna had moved so that she was standing behind her.

After a time, the door opened, revealing a man in miner's clothes and sporting a day-old beard. Hanging on his belt was a pickaxe. He saw the girl first.

"Fjotra?"

"Papa!" Fjotra wrapped her father in a hug. The miner, shell-shocked, slowly returned the embrace, as though he couldn't believe his daughter was back. Eventually, reality caught up to him, and he strengthened his grip on Fjotra, never wanting to let her go.

"Oh, Fjotra! I never thought I'd see you again!" Luna watched the whole exchange, a smile on her face as she watched father and daughter reunite. The father finally looked up, expecting to see the fanged Argonian that said he would get Fjotra back. Instead, he saw one of the group that took his daughter. "Forsworn!"

* * *

A whinny from Shadowmere roused Mikal from his half-sleep. He sat up straight in the saddle and looked around. Shadowmere had stopped on the incline that led to Karthwasten. In fact, they had stopped right outside the village.

"Shadowmere, why…" Mikal's voice died in his throat when his eyes fell on the reason for Shadowmere's halt. Every man in Karthwasten was belly-down on the ground, each of them struggling to grab a weapon just out of reach. Crimson red energies assaulted their bodies, forcing them to the ground in a way similar to Dragonrend. Mikal spotted Fjotra trying to help her father to no avail. In the center of it all was Luna.

She was floating a foot off the ground, surrounded by a pale green barrier. Her arms were flung out to the side, and her mouth was open in a silent scream. Luna's hair looked like a piece of the midnight sky itself. What really caught his attention was her eyes. They were pure white, blank as the Void, and blazed with power. It was then that Fjotra spotted him.

"Mister! Please, help my papa!", she begged.

"Fjotra, what happened?"

"Papa saw Luna and thought she was with the people that kidnapped me!" Mikal blinked, then swore. Of course. The armor they had taken off the corpse. "He shouted at her, and then attacked her! She kept backing away, but he wouldn't stop! Right before Papa hit her, she screamed and threw her arms out to the side. The next thing I knew, the moons were glowing, and -" Mikal cut her off.

"The moons?" He looked up, and sure enough, the two moons were glowing. Mikal looked back to the the men, then to Luna's barrier. The colors were the same as the moons' colors. Was Luna...using the moons? "Stay with Shadowmere, hatchling." He advanced, but as soon as he stepped inside the village, the red energies attacked him as harshly as the other men. _Damn! She can't tell friend from foe!_ Mikal fell to a knee and struggled to rise, visibly shaking with the effort. _A Shout. I need a Shout._

" **WULD!"**

The Shout worked as intended, blasting him forwards, but the intensified pull of gravity on his body worked against him, stopping him all too soon. Unprepared for the sudden halt, he tumbled onto his belly. Once more, he struggled to rise, then Shouted again.

" **MUL QAH DIIV!"**

Ethereal Dragonbone Armor faded into existence around his body. He stood this time, albeit shakily. The Dragon Aspect's power was giving him a dovah's strength, easing the task of resisting the spell, and he slowly but surely made his way towards Luna.

* * *

Luna found herself in what appeared to be a meeting room. In the center of the room was a table, and standing around the table were three horse-like creatures. One had a pure white coat and a mane flowing with color and power. The second had a pink coat and tri-colored mane of pink, yellow, and purple. The third and final had a lavender coat and violet mane with a pink streak. Each creature had a horn and wings. All wore some form of regalia. Judging by the body shape, all were female as well.

"I'm sorry, Princess Celestia. I can't find any trace of the wormhole that opened up and took her." The speaker was the third creature. For whatever reason, the fact that she spoke did not startle or surprise Luna. In fact, all three seemed familiar to her. "Discord's dimension hopping, but we haven't heard back from him yet."

"Shiny and I haven't found anything either. We're looking through Sombra's journals and records; many dark creatures and beings are recorded in them, but none are like the one that appeared through the wormhole." The white one closed her eyes, as though in thought.

"I see. Cadence, Twilight, thank you both. Even though you haven't found anything, you tried. That helps me greatly." Now Luna had all their names. But what were they talking about? Someone was taken from them? "It seems now we are waiting for Discord's message. Let me know when -" A flash of white energy cut her off. Floating above the center of the table was a scroll. The lavender one's - ah, Twilight's horn glowed magenta, encasing the scroll in the same color. The scroll floated over to her, and she unraveled it, reading its contents.

"It's from Discord. He's found her, but because of some beings called daedric princes, he can't snap her out of that dimension. She's safe; a native named Mikal found her and is helping her. Discord says for now he'll watch and listen, then 'accidently' run into them. Disguised of course."

"Anything else?" Celestia asked. Twilight read more of the scroll.

"He says to say hello to Fluttershy for him." Twilight quirked an eyebrow. "He also says that if a cyclops triangle appears and asks for him, the check's in the mail and he'll get his goat at the next Chaotic Beings Anonymous meeting." Celestia laughed at Discord's last written statement.

"Well...if nothing else, she's safe and Discord knows where she is. Go back to the Crystal Empire and Ponyville. Twilight, tell me when Discord sends in his next report." Twilight and Cadence nodded, and then left the room. As soon as the door closed, Celestia's posture slumped, her head lowering and her smiling fading. Luna's heart ached for the white equine. She may not have known exactly who Celestia was, but she wanted to tell her that everything would be fine, and that she'd find who she was looking for. "I swear...we will find you, sister. We will find you and bring you back home." Tears gathered in her eyes. "We'll bring you home, Luna." At that moment, the room faded, and Luna's vision went dark.

* * *

"Mikal! I think she's waking up." The pale Argonian looked behind him to where Shadowmere was following. The dark horse's steps were careful, making sure that Luna did not fall off, and Fjotra sat in front of Luna, holding Shadowmere's reins. Sure enough, the Breton was stirring. Mikal stopped, Shadowmere drawing level with him then doing the same.

"Nnggh...hm? Where…?"

"You're awake. How do you feel?" Luna looked down at the Argonian, who was regarding her with concerned eyes.

"I'm fine." She looked around. "Where are we?"

"The road to Markarth." Mikal crossed his arms and shifted his weight. "I must say, I am impressed. Most would be unconscious for far longer than you were."

"I was unconscious?" Mikal nodded.

"For a day and a half. Enmon, Fjotra's father, apologizes for attacking you. His wife, Mena, dressed you while you were out. Now only a complete idiot would call you a Forsworn." He hesitated, looking away from Luna then back at her. "What do you remember?"

"The last thing I remember was Enmon attacking me...and a dream of some sort. But it's sketchy." Mikal nodded, accepting her answer.

"The body rejects any memories that it doesn't like. Combine that with the backlash I caused and the magicka hyperexhaustion you suffered from that spell...I thank the Divines you aren't comatose."

"Is Luna going to be okay?" Mikal looked to Fjotra, then smiled at her. It seemed that Fjotra had taken a liking to the Breton.

"As long as she doesn't use any kind of magic for a day or two, she'll be fine. Now," he said cheerfully. "Let us be off to Markarth." Mikal turned back to the road and focused his magicka. A swirling sphere of darkness congealed in his left hand. Thrusting his hand forwards, the Argonian cast the spell towards the road. Bluish-white energy swirled in a sphere. It cleared, revealing an unearthly creature.

A horse's complete skeleton stood on the road. Its hooves and tailbone had fire surrounding them, and the same fire streaked from where its mane would've been. The eye sockets shone with an otherworldly light. Every part of the skeleton horse was a deep purple. "This is Arvak, a horse I found in the Soul Cairn." Arvak turned to look at the others, and Shadowmere snorted in response, unimpressed. Mikal chuckled at Shadowmere, then climbed onto Arvak. He dug his heels into Arvak's ribs, and the skeleton horse took off, Shadowmere following close behind.

Not two minutes after they had left, a white-haired young man materialized into existence, right on the spot where the horses had stood.

"Oh, poo. Missed them by a few minutes. Oh well. Guess I'll explore for a bit, and who knows? Maybe I'll find some chaos…or make some!" He cackled, then snapped his fingers and disappeared.

* * *

A group of five traveled North towards Markarth. Their armor and weapons clanked and jangled as they went down the trail. All looked as though they were about to fight a powerful enemy. The one walking point remembered the instructions they had been given: Kill the Vampire Lord known as Mikal, whom was traveling to the Dwarven city. He looked at the sun. They would arrive at Markarth by sunset. Turning to the others, the group leader shouted at the others to keep moving, they were almost there. As they went, each of them mentally prepared for the battle.

A group of five traveled North towards battle.

* * *

 _A/N: I have a request for any and all artists out there. I would like a title cover for this story. If you are interested, please PM me. I have also put up a poll. It will influence the story, so please vote. Thank you._

 _Shouts used: -Whirlwind Sprint (First Word)  
-Dragon Aspect_


	3. The Road to Markarth

**Chapter Three: The Road to Markarth**

* * *

 _Review Response_

 _prowressMaster44: I'm glad you enjoy my story. Don't forget, you have many people waiting for your own story *cough cough* Mewtwo takes over *cough*._

 _Guest: I am aware of Shadowmere's theoretical gender. However, due to the way I perceive the game, Shadowmere will be male in this story. Don't worry. I'll still develop connections between Luna and Shadowmere._

* * *

As Arvak and Shadowmere trotted down the path to Markarth, Luna took in the scenery around them. The area, she decided, was as picturesque as a sculptor's carvings. Her thoughts were interrupted by a low growling sound. Luna looked around, alarmed, and the growl sounded again. Looking down, she found the source of the sound.

It was her stomach. Ahead of her, Mikal snickered as he turned Arvak around to Shadowmere and the flustered Breton.

"Hungry, are we?" Luna blushed, and Fjotra giggled from her spot in front of Luna. Mikal smiled and said "I suppose we could take a break. Markarth is only an hour's walk from here." He climbed off of Arvak's back. As soon as Mikal's feet touched the ground, Arvak crumpled and disappeared, energy crackling for a moment, then dispersing. Luna gaped at the spot where Arvak had vanished.

"What happened to Arvak?"

"He returned to the Soul Cairn. He only stays here for as long as I use him for a mount. Now then," he said, "How about you get off of Shadowmere so he can rest his ancient bones, eh?" The aforementioned horse tossed his mane and stomped his hoof in anger. "They are too ancient! How long ago was it that Lachance rode you, hmm?" Shadowmere whickered softly and turned his head away. "That's what I thought." The Argonian walked over to the sulking horse ( _There is no way that's normal_ , thought Luna) and lifted Fjotra off of Shadowmere and onto the ground. He turned back to help Luna off, but to his surprise, she was already on the ground. "I see someone knows her way around horses." Luna blushed again.

"I don't know how I knew what to do. It just felt…natural."

"Perhaps you used to work with or around horses. Even if you didn't, at least we know your memory isn't completely gone."

"Um…Mikal?" The Argonian turned to Fjotra, who was pointing into the woods with a scared look on her face. Peering in the direction of Fjotra's gaze, he saw what had scared her.

Wolves.

Mikal swore under his breath…then an idea hit him. Drawing in air, his Thu'um touched the world once again.

" **RAAN MIR TAH!"**

A burst of golden energy flooded the area. When it faded, the three wolves were still there; the Shout had not harmed them. Mikal walked confidently to the wolves, knelt down once he reached them, and said something to them that, while inaudible to Luna and Fjotra, shook the surrounding area. As soon as he stood up, the wolves bounded off into the woods. The Argonian turned to the bewildered females and grinned.

"Taken care of." Luna shook her head in bewilderment.

"Is there anything you can't do?" she asked.

"Oh, I assure you, I am not infallible or invincible. There was a time when I would have had to kill the wolves."

"What did you say to them?"

"That hunting would be better elsewhere." Mikal strode up to Shadowmere and began rummaging through the saddlebags. "Now then, I believe we were about to eat?"

* * *

One meal and an hour's walk later, the group had neared the gates of Markarth. When the entrance entered her vision, Luna's jaw dropped. The entrance was well fortified; being part of the surrounding mountain helped. She was shaken out of her shock when the two guards at the gate drew their swords.

"Halt! Who goes there?" Signaling to Shadowmere to stay put, Mikal took a step forwards, hands raised to show they were empty.

"Mikal, Thane to the Jarl of Markarth, with the new Sybil of Dibella and a champion of Nocturnal." Underneath their helmets, the guards' eyes widened.

"Oh...forgive us, Thane. We were just following orders." Mikal smiled in response.

"Yes, you were. How unlike the last pair of guards you are." The guards sheathed their swords and stood up straight.

"Please, go on through. If you wish, we can get someone to take care of your horse for you."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary." Mikal helped Fjotra off of Shadowmere again, and as before, Luna had already dismounted when he turned back around. Stepping around Luna, the pale Argonian dug through the saddlebags and came up with two pouches of gold, which he tossed to the guards. "Here. Consider it a reward for, ah...following orders." Both of the guards caught the pouches.

"Thank you, Thane." Mikal nodded to them, then turned and whispered into Shadowmere's ear. Shadowmere snorted and shook his mane, then turned back and made his way to the stables. "By the Eight, that's a well-trained horse." Smirking, Mikal strode past the guards, Luna and Fjotra following closely.

"Not well-trained. Just intelligent." As the three entered Markarth, Luna looked at Mikal questioningly.

" 'Champion of Nocturnal' ?" Mikal shrugged.

"Would you have rather I said 'Amnesiac woman' instead?"

"...You have a tongue of silver."

"I prefer to think of it as saying what people want to hear." Luna shook her head.

"You're hopeless."

"No, I'm silver-tongued."

"Arrgh!"

* * *

As Shadowmere trotted to the stables, he thought about the strange human the Listener had found. She was very powerful, but from what he had seen, she didn't know how to use that power. To control the very moons themselves...Shadowmere snorted. The only mortal that Shadowmere knew of with power like that was the Listener, and he was part dragon. To the dark horse, the strange human was similar to Nocturnal. Thanks to a run-in with the daedric prince years ago, Shadowmere had gotten a front row view of Nocturnal's power. The strange human and the daedric prince exuded the same type of aura. On top of that, the strange human seemed equine for whatever reason. Oh well.

As Shadowmere trotted into the stall and got comfortable, he decided that as long as the Listener viewed the strange human as a friend, the animal assassin wouldn't hurt her. Shadowmere bedded down and closed his eyes. Even otherworldly supernatural servants of Sithis got tired.

* * *

Discord grumbled to himself as he walked up the incline to Markarth. Thanks to a daedric prince, most of his chaotic powers were gone. All he could currently do were illusions and minor reality manipulation. Really minor. At the very least, he had managed to hide his tail, wings, and horns, as those showed even in his human form, and would have given strange looks...well, more than he had already received. By the standards of Skyrim, Discord's entire appearance was abnormal.

His skin was a pale grey, and his irises were red. His shaggy hair was pure white, and his snaggletooth still hung out of his mouth. A brown jacket hung open over a white shirt that read "CHAOS". One of the jacket's sleeves were yellow, and the other was gold. His pants were ragged, with a light brown left leg and a green right leg. His bare feet showed no signs of wear, and no matter what he walked on, sent no pain-filled signals.

 _The first chance, I get, that Sheo-whatever is getting the thrashing of his immortal existence._ Discord's grumblings were interrupted upon reaching Markarth's gates. Ahead of him, five armored individuals were talking to the gate guards. One of them handed a guard a piece of parchment. The guards read the paper, then nodded and let the group through. Curious, Discord walked straight up to the guard with the paper and plucked it out of his hands.

"Hey, you can't-" Discord snapped his fingers, and both guards stiffened, then returned to their posts. Now undisturbed, Discord read the parchment.

" _The Argonian known as Mikal has been summoned by the Jarl of Falkreath. The five carrying this parchment and its copies have been sent to retrieve him._

 _\- Jarl Siddgeir"_

A cold sense of dread ran through Discord. As a creature of deception, he could see through lies, and this note was one big one. The entire thing was forged, which meant that this Mikal was in danger...wait a minute...Mikal was the native that helped Luna! And if the armored group saw Luna as an ally of Mikal...they'd kill her, too. The draconequus-turned-human ran into Markarth.

Luna was in danger, and he'd be damned before he let her get hurt. After all, she held the secrets of the moon, and no one could ever know them.

 _Don't you dare die, Luna. I haven't shown you my latest design for the moon's surface yet!_ With that thought in mind, Discord ran faster.

* * *

"Well, now. I do believe it's time to give my favorite mortal a visit. After all, he'd be mad to keep on the path he's taking!"

* * *

 _Shouts used: Raan Mir Tah (Animal Allegiance)_

 _A/N: My thanks to Reyna Elizabeth Masters for the cover art. You can view more of her works on DeviantArt, and she also is currently writing the story Paranormal Investigations._

 _There is still a poll up for Luna's choice of adventuring style. So far, the mage/thief option is in the lead. Please vote, as it will influence the story._


	4. Vodrem

Mikal collapsed into a chair by the fireplace with a contented sigh. After taking Fjotra to the priestesses of Dibella, he had gone to the Silver-Blood Inn for a drink. As for Luna, he had given her directions to his house from the temple.

"Why aren't you going there too?" she had asked.

"I need to stop by the blacksmith to check on an order," he replied. "After that, I need a drink."

And so, they went their separate ways. When Mikal had gotten to the smithy, Ghorza presented him with the new weapons. "Don't you dare end up breaking these, or I'll break you."

Mikal chuckled at the warning and went to the grindstone to sharpen the blades. "Did someone stay up later than they should have to make these?"

"Shut up, silver-tongue," Ghorza snapped. "If you must know, it's that time again. I am not in a mood to have fun either, nor am I prone to mistakes in forging."

"I had wondered where your assistant was."

Ghorza swore and chucked her tongs at Mikal, followed by ingots of varying metals. "DO NOT MENTION HIM!"

Getting the message, Mikal quickly fled the smithy, his newly sharpened weapons strapped to his sides. Now he was warm on the inside from the drink and on the outside from the fire. The sound of footsteps filled his earholes, and he turned his head to see an old friend. "Ah, Cosnach!"

"My favorite drinking buddy! How've ya been, lizard?"

Mikal laughed. If anyone else called him a lizard, he took offense or ignored them, but for Cosnach it was friendly banter, nothing more. Of course, that meant Mikal could respond in kind. "Keep pressing your luck, Cosnach. Sooner or later, I will snap!"

The Nord smirked and sat down in the seat opposite of him. "So, what'd you get back from this time? Slaying a daedric prince or summat?"

"Rescuing a little girl and a woman without her memory from the Forsworn. Honestly, Cosnach, how many more times are you going to guess wildly?"

"Until I'm right. Anyways, I've got somethin' that might interest you."

Mikal quirked an eyeridge. "Oh? What is it?"

"Some armored guys came into Markarth. About five of them. I think they're mercenaries or something, 'cause they're looking for someone."

The Argonian rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. "Do you know who?" he questioned.

"Nah. Figured it'd be more for you than for me, so I left before I found out. Thought you could go and talk to them."

"Hmm. Perhaps I will. Thank you for the information, Cosnach."

At that moment, the door to the inn burst open, and a strange-looking man entered. "Is Mikal in here?" he asked. Mikal and Cosnach glanced at each other and nodded. The Argonian and the Nord rose from their seats.

"Who's asking?"

(Line Break)

Discord did his dead-level best to remain calm and collected. Thanks to some stealthy and well-timed illusions, he had managed to stir up the armored group into a frenzy by sending them on a wild goose chase throughout the city. Now that they were held up by the city guards, Discord made his move. It only took asking one of the guards not handling the group to find himself directed to the Silver-Blood Inn, where he hoped Mikal was. He entered the inn rather forcefully, and asked for Mikal without hesitation. It was quiet for awhile, but to his utmost relief, the same lizard-man he had seen riding the dark horse after the lightning storm stood up.

"Who's asking?" Discord approached quickly, causing Mikal to reach for a jagged blade.

"Now hold on," Discord exclaimed, holding up his hands. "I'm not an enemy! Not to you at least."

Mikal didn't move his hand from the blade's hilt, which Discord expected. No doubt past experience kept the pale Argonian wary of people he didn't know. What he didn't expect was the whisper filled with power.

" **LAAS!"**

For a brief amount of time, Mikal's eyes looked different. Before Discord could figure out what it was, Mikal blinked and his eyes were normal again. "Fine," he said. "I will listen."

Thanking Laurfausta, Discord decided to be abrupt. "Luna's in danger."

"What? How do you know that? How do you know Luna, for that matter?"

"She and I are from the same place. I'm an...ally of hers, in a way. As for how I know, perhaps it's because I read the paper that accused you and showed you as a criminal. If I'm right, then they'll go after her too."

"Who will go after her?" Mikal asked.

"Maybe the group of five heavily armed individuals running around screaming for your blood."

(Line Break)

"Are you lost?"

Luna blinked, then looked down at the source of the question. It was a little girl with blonde hair and a green dress. "Pardon?"

"You've been standing there for a while, so I thought you might be lost and wanting some help!"

"Oh...yes, I suppose I am. Mikal gave me directions to his house, but...well, I can't remember them."

The little girl's face brightened. "You know my papa?"

"Your papa?"

"Yes! Mikal's my papa!"

"Oh." For an instant, Luna tried to comprehend how a bipedal lizard could have a human child, but quickly dismissed it. She could ask later. "Could you take me to your papa's house?"

"Yeah! Come on, it's this way! I'm Runa, by the way."

Luna smiled warmly. "I'm Luna."

(Line Break)

Shavee stirred the soup, making sure it didn't burn on the sides on the bottom. She sighed, mentally taking role of the household's occupants. _'Alesan's laying in bed, I asked Argis to see if the apothecary had any Cure Disease potions, Mikal….'_ she sighed again. _'...is hopefully alive and on his way home, and Runa is-'_

"Mama, I'm home!"

Shavee smiled at her daughter's voice. "Hello, little one. Did you enjoy the temple?"

"No, they didn't let me in. The nice priestess said that no one could go in 'cause they were training the new sybil."

"Oh. That's too bad. Another time then."

To be quite honest, Shavee preferred her daughter stay away from the Temple of Dibella. After what Mikal told her about Helga, she wanted Runa to have nothing to do with the Dibellan priestesses. "I made a new friend, though! Say hi, Luna!"

At this, Shavee finally looked up from the meal she was preparing. Sheepishly standing next to Runa was a female Breton with fair skin, which was lightly tanned. She wore fine blue clothes, and her looked to be a deep navy blue, which was uncommon, but Shavee wouldn't judge. For some reason, her hair seemed to be shimmering with power. Luna waved.

"Hello."

"Greetings, Luna. I hope Runa was not too forceful when she dragged you here."

Luna smiled. "Hardly. In fact, I meant to come here in the first place. Mikal told me to deliver a message to his wife, and I'm assuming that's you."

"What's the message?"

"That he is back safely. He also said that he would have told you himself, but decided to send me to you with a message, since he had to take the new sybil to the Temple of Dibella."

Shavee smiled and shook her head. "He thinks he know everything," she muttered. "Thank you for telling me Luna." Shavee turned back to the soup. "Runa, go tell your brother to wash up for supper."

"Yes, Mama."

She ran off into the house. Luna fidgeted under Shavee's gaze. "So, um...how-"

"How do two Argonians have human children?" Luna smiled nervously. That had been exactly what she was going to ask. "They are adopted. Mikal found Alesan living on the streets of Dawnstar, and Runa was in the Honorhall Orphanage."

"But why no Argonian children? Didn't you two have a, erm…" Luna blushed. "...honeymoon?"

"Oh, we did. Believe me, we definitely did." Shavee smirked as Luna's blush deepened. "But it appears that one of us or both of us are infertile. It matters not. I love Runa and Alesan as though I had given birth to them," Shavee stated.

Luna's blush disappeared, and she couldn't help but smile. "Like my Children of the Night. They were orphans on the street until I took them to a special place. Discord helped me raise them until he turned...turned…"

Shavee looked at Luna worriedly. Luna's eyes were blank, and her mouth was slightly open. "Luna? What's wrong?"

"I-I can't remember who Discord is. I can't remember who the Children of the Night are." Luna clutched the sides of her head, and tears started to stream down her face. "But I mentioned them! So why can't I remember?!"

Shavee moved forwards and enveloped Luna in a hug. Luna in turn wrapped her arms around the female Argonian, sobbing and clutching Shavee like she was her only lifeline. _'This poor girl,'_ Shavee thought. _'Could things get any worse for her?'_

As if on cue, an explosion sounded outside the house. It was a sound Shavee had heard before. Her husband was fighting.

(Line Break)

The moment Discord had described the armored group roaming the city, Mikal immediately stormed out of the inn, cursing Isran and the Dawnguard. He briefly registered Cosnach and Discord following behind him.

' _Damn those fools. I killed Harkon for them. I told them that I posed no threat to them. I explained my reasons to them. I even gave them the Shield of Auriel that I recovered from the Falmer! So why in Oblivion are they after me!?'_

So engrossed in his thoughts was he that Mikal didn't see the Dawnguard until it was too late. Giving up on their efforts, the Dawnguard had decided to wait on the road for Mikal to approach or leave Markarth. It was then that Nocturnal proved to be a fickle mistress, as right as Mikal left the Silver-Blood Inn, the Dawnguard crossed right in front of it. The Dawnguard member closest to the Argonian yelled at the others, and they all turned to see Mikal, who was now filling the air with every single profanity he could think of. Ignoring this, the group leader, a Nord stepped forwards.

"Mikal Dovahkiin, you are accused of vampirism by the Dawnguard. You can either come with us for a trial, or resist and be killed here. Your choice."

At this, Mikal snorted in amusement. "A trial? Sheogorath must have played with your minds if you think I'd go to one of your damn monkey trials in a kangaroo court."

The leader sneered at Mikal and drew his Dawnguard Axe, the others readying their weapons as well. "You've made your decision. Any last words?"

Mikal shrugged nonchalantly. "Yes, actually. Tell Isran that he can take his ego and his axe and shove them both up his arse, along with the stick that's been there ever since I turned." The leader growled at Mikal, and raised his axe to strike. "Hold on. I have three left." Mikal took a deep breath, and-

" **FUS RO DAH!"**

Near infinite force blasted from Mikal's maw, and the Dawnguard went flying, one of them disintegrating into ash from the sheer power of the Shout. The four remaining Dawnguard got up, but before they could fully recover, Cosnach rushed in and slipped an ebony dagger in between the ribs of a Dawnguard Wood Elf. The vampire hunter fell to the ground, and his fellow hunter, a Dark Elf, turned on Cosnach with an enraged cry. Cosnach lept back and drew a slender saber that emitted chaos energy. It had been a gift from Mikal some time ago. From behind Mikal, Discord leapt at the Dawnguard standing next to the leader, a female Imperial, effectively rugby tackling her. This left only the leader standing, the Nord's face registering shock that his two of his team had fallen so quickly. He gritted his teeth and howled, slashing and hacking at Mikal with his axe. The Argonian was prepared and drew his new weapons, a Daedric Sword and Daedric Dagger. Even though he had not enchanted either of them yet, they both seemed to sing for spilled blood. With great ease and skill, Mikal blocked the swings with the Daedric Sword, finally catching an overhead swing in the serrated edge of the blade. Seemingly of it's own accord, the Daedric Dagger lashed across the Dawnguard's armored chest. The deadly weapon cut through the armor like a hot knife through butter and into flesh. The vampire hunter fell to his knees, blood seeping from the wound. Mikal put the sword and dagger to the leader's neck, and swung, beheading him. The Argonian looked over to Cosnach to see him finishing his opponent by running her through, then beheading her as well. As for Discord…

"Sithis and damnation!"

The curse lept from Mikal's mouth before he could stop it, and for good reason. Discord's opponent had been ripped to bloody shreds, barely recognizable as a human being anymore. However, Mikal had seen worse. No, what got to the vampire was Discord himself.

Discord now sprouted wings, one reminiscent of a blue jay's, the other of a bat. On his head was half a set of antlers and a goat's horn. His left hand had taken on qualities of a bird of prey's talon, and his right hand was similar to the paw of a sabre cat's. Discord's right foot had become green and clawed like a dragon's, and his left foot looked hardened and brown, not unlike a cow's hoof. Finally, a long red lizard's tail with a feathered end sprouted from his waist. His hands and feet were bloodied.

"My Thane?" Mikal jumped, whirling around. A guard had approached, and was eyeing Discord warily through his helmet. "The gate guards heard the commotion. They said that those people you just killed were here on official business. Even had a letter from Jarl Siddgeir."

Mikal frowned. "A letter? Let me see it." The guard handed over a letter, and Mikal scrutinized it. Eventually, he swore. "This is a forgery. Siddgeir writes smaller so he doesn't waste parchment." He tore up the fake letter. "Tell the gate guards that they aren't in any kind of trouble. They most likely haven't seen enough letters from Jarls to tell whether or not they're fake."

"Yes, Thane Mikal. What about the bodies of the people that attacked you?"

"Dispose of the bodies. Spread the ashes around; sweep them into the river if you have to."

"And the daedra over there?"

"I'll deal with it. Also, spread the word that this was an assassination attempt by the Dark Brotherhood dressed in Dawnguard armor. The reason was so that they could justify their kill by claiming vampirism on the target."

"Yes, my Thane."

The guard relayed the orders to the others, and they got to work. Mikal stalked over to Discord his pointed a finger in his face. "You. Clean up in the stream. Do whatever you did before to look human again. I have to try and convince the guards that you're a new type of daedra that can be summoned. After that, you have some explaining to do."

(Line Break)

Discord crouched down in the stream that ran throughout Markarth and sighed. This was that Sheo-whatever's fault. If that idiot hadn't taken his powers, then he wouldn't have had to do that to the Dawnguard. Discord had no choice, though. With his magic as limited as it was, his only defense were his claws, hoof, and talons.

After scrubbing the blood off of his appendages, Discord stood up and snapped his talons, hiding his animalistic features. Almost instantly, Mikal's dagger was against his throat and his sword against his belly.

"What in Sithis's name did you do to that woman? What are you?"

Discord smirked. The lizard had guts, that was for sure. "First and foremost, I am a draconequus, a being of immense chaos magic. As for what I did to that woman, I went feral on her."

"Why?"

"This person named Sheo-something drained me of my magic. He said that the story wouldn't be very fun if I just did everything with a snap of my fingers. As it is, I have enough magic for illusions and minor reality manipulation."

Mikal muttered something under his breath about a mad god, then pressed the dagger into Discord's throat. The jagged blade seemed to sing as it got closer to cutting Discord's flesh. "And why are you here?"

"Why to protect Lulu, of course! What kind of friend would I be if I left her all alone in this world, wallowing in her amnesia? Of course, it's a good thing she has amnesia, otherwise she'd be dead already."

"What do you mean? Tell me!"

Discord smirked again, and though Mikal couldn't see it, he could feel Discord's arrogance grow. "I can't tell you directly, of course. But I can tell you this: Lulu carries information that she and she alone knows about. Or at least, she will once she regains her memories." Discord's smirk grew into a full-fledged grin. "A great hunk of knowledge that not even the gods that created this world know about!" The humanoid draconequus turned his head to look Mikal in the eye. "The Secrets of the Moon!"

" _ **DOV AH KIIN!"**_


	5. The Plot Thickens (Somewhat)

Hermaeus Mora concentrated, pouring energy and knowledge into a single point. Once he had finished, the Daedric Prince of Knowledge examined his creation. Perfect. He began to chuckle quietly to himself. "The dark elf will call him. He will bring her to me. And the secrets she holds will be **MINE!** "

* * *

Neloth sat up in bed with a gasp. He blinked, then looked around, a tad confused. The Telvanni wizard frowned. His apprentice must have slipped another sleeping potion in his tea. Still, Neloth felt refreshed, so he decided he wouldn't berate Talvas for it. The dark elf paused, stroking his chin as he began to recall his dream. Then it hit him. A Black Book! Hermaeus Mora had written a new Black Book! Undoubtedly it would be in a place hazardous to anyone who entered, but he knew exactly who would be willing to go after it. Neloth shouted for his apprentice, "Talvas! Where are you? We have a letter to write and a Black Book to locate!"

* * *

Mikal practically threw Discord to the ground in shock, his blades falling to his sides and his gaze taking a north-eastern direction. "B-but," he stammered. "But that...t-that can't _be…_ that's _impossible…"_

"What's impossible?"

With a curse, Mikal turned back to Discord, whom was looking at the Argonian with a quirked eyebrow. In his bewilderment, he had forgotten about the...ah, yes, draconequus. "Nothing important to you," Mikal retorted. "Now then, I believe-"

"Mikal!" He groaned. Cosnach had, as usual, come back at the worst time. "You have no idea how lucky I am. Ghorza laid into me about the fighting. I swear, it's like she's possessed. She went on and on about you breaking your new swords and - oh. Did I interrupt something?"

"Yes, Cosnach, an interrogation. Now then, you," he stated, grabbing Discord by the arm. "You are going to talk to Luna."

Discord's face lit up. "Oh, it's about time! I just can't _wait_ to see Lulu again!"

The Argonian growled at the faux-human, set off by his attitude. "By Sithis, you had better pray there is some form of recognition, or I'll give you the distinct pleasure of meeting the Dread Father. Now move."

* * *

Luna sat in the kitchen of Mikal and Shavee's home, holding a cup of what the female Argonian had called kafay. The Redguards of Hammerfell had produced the drink, a warm beverage that tasted bitter but soothed the nerves. Luna found herself liking the drink, giving her something to focus on after the breakdown she had experienced.

"Feeling better, dear?"

Luna looked up from her seat to see Shavee carrying a tray with a bowl and spoon. "Yes, I am." The blue-haired Breton smiled at her. "Thank you for the drink."

"It's nothing, really. Both Mikal and Argis, my husband's Housecarl, adore the stuff, so we have plenty in stock. I didn't know if you wanted anything added to it, so I kept it plain. Here," she said, putting the tray down. "This is apple cabbage stew. Since the children are taking so long, you can have some. I wouldn't want it to get cold and go to waste." Seeing Luna open her mouth to protest, Shavee held up her hand to stop her from saying anything. "It is not the first time, and it will not be the last. They will simply have to put up with bread and cheese."

"Well...thank you, Shavee." Luna picked up the spoon, then paused, a frown on her face. "Shavee...is it normal for Mikal to bite people in the neck?"

There was a beat of silence, and Shavee turned back towards Luna, having gone back to the pot to fill another bowl. "What?"

"S-sorry." Luna blushed, somewhat embarrassed at asking such a strange question. "It's just that, at the place he rescued myself and Fjorta, he snuck up behind a Forsworn and bit his neck."

Shavee was silent, as if she was contemplating her answer. "I...forgot that you lost your memory." Another silent pause. "My husband is...a vampire. You see, some time back, he showed up with a woman named Serana. Serana was also a vampire, but had not attacked Mikal, or even tried to drink his blood. Instead, she trusted him to take her home. They had stopped here for a refill of stocks. I was shocked at first that he would travel with a vampire, before I remembered that he had also befriended werewolves. After that, he disappeared for about a month before reappearing…"

 _{Flashback}_

 _Shavee turned at the sound of the front door slamming open. What she saw scared her._

" _Mikal!"_

 _The aforementioned lizard was being propped up by Serana, his arm around her shoulders. Shavee made to move forward when Serana quickly exclaimed "NO! Don't tempt him!"_

" _Tempt him? What do you…" Shavee's voice died in her throat. Mikal's scales were pale - almost a pure white color. His exposed snout revealed elongated fangs. And when he raised his head to look at her, there was only hunger in them. "Wh-what…"_

" _I can and will explain, but only after I've tended to him. Get the children and the Housecarl if he's here and get out!" Seeing the female lizard hesitate, Serana shouted, "NOW!"_

 _{Flashback End}_

"In order to fight against Serana's father, she and Mikal had to enter a place called the Soul Cairn. Mikal, however, could not enter while he was alive, and since vampires are considered undead…"

"He became one himself."

"Yes. It was voluntary on his part. What he did not expect was the hunger for blood, which the Soul Cairn had repressed for whatever reason. Fortunately, Serana knew of a way to make a Blood Potion, which can soothe a vampire's hunger. He even trained himself to ignore the call of fresh blood so that myself, Argis, and the children could be safe."

"But what about the Forsworn?"

From the kitchen doorway, a familiar voice spoke up. "He had it coming, and I was thirsty. Even I only have so much restraint."

Both Luna and Shavee turned to see Mikal standing there, a smirk plastered on his snout. Shavee walked up to him and hugged him tightly, relishing the moment. "Welcome back, dear. I do hope whoever you were fighting got off lightly."

Mikal, who had returned the hug, grimaced. "The Dawnguard found me again. I was getting bored of Markarth anyways. What do you think? Solitude this time?"

"Oh, Mikal," Shavee sighed. "You cannot keep running forever. Sooner or later you must confront Isran. Killing those he sends after you doesn't help."

"You haven't seen their so-called 'trials' for vampires."

"The...Dawnguard?" Luna asked, a bit confused.

"A group of vampire hunters. Despite me preventing not one but two power-hungry vampires from creating an eternal night, they hunt me because I too am a vampire." Luna's eyes became unfocused.

"Eternal...night…" she whispered. No one noticed her pupils become slitted and cat-like for a moment. Mikal's voice roused her from her trance.

"By the way, Luna. Someone claiming to know you...helped...fight off the Dawnguard. I figured it wouldn't hurt to bring him to you." Turning to someone the two women couldn't see, Mikal called him forwards. "Get over here. Pray to whatever Divine you worship that she recognizes you."

The Argonian moved to the side, and a very strange man stepped into the kitchen. Upon seeing Luna, his mismatched eyes lit up and a snaggletoothed grin grew on his face. "Hello, Lulu." Luna's own eyes widened a bit as the tiniest of memories fell into place.

"...Discord…"

* * *

Discord had to admit, he was glad that Luna recognized him. As it was, he would've had quite the time fighting off Mr. Grumpy Scales. So glad was he, that when Luna stood up and strode over to him, Discord opened his arms for a hug.

"I'm _so_ glad you remem-"

 _ **CRACK**_

The sudden backhand made him less glad, though if the rasping cackles were anything to go by, the lizard thought it was hilarious. For his part, Discord put his hand to his cheek, wincing at the stinging feeling.

"I take you aren't happy with me, Lulu."

"I've yet to decide. All I remember about you is that you very much deserved that backhand."

"But you remember me!"

"Vaguely, yes."

Discord looked at Mikal, a triumphant look in his eyes. "You see? I wasn't lying!"

For his part, Mikal had a wary look on his face. "Luna...you say you vaguely remember him. What do you remember?"

Luna thought for a moment, her eyes closed and a somewhat frustrated look on her face. "...Discord was an enemy. An obnoxious one at that. I and someone else stopped him. Later he attacked again, shaping...somewhere...to his liking. I believe there were clouds that rained milk."

"Cotton candy clouds that rained chocolate milk, thank you." At the disbelieving and confused looks he received, Discord shrugged. "What?"

"Nothing," Mikal groaned. "Continue, Luna."

"There were others that stopped his second attack...and then he was released and reformed into an ally." She opened her eyes, still somewhat frustrated. "That's all I remember."

"That's very good, Lulu. The failsafe worked perfectly." All eyes turned to Discord, who for once looked serious. "Perhaps I should explain."

"You have five minutes," Mikal growled. "What failsafe? What are you talking about?"

Discord let out a weary sigh. "Please keep in mind that I must limit what I say. It's the only way to protect Luna.

"First and foremost, Luna and I are from another world. No, not some obscure realm of Oblivion, but if it helps you to think of it like that then go ahead. Now, we knew that there are other worlds and dimensions out there thanks to an...encounter with one. Naturally, this sparked the idea of exploring other worlds and dimensions. I, of course, was the perfect candidate to do this, what with my reality-bending chaos powers and all. So I jumped from place to place, recording the history of the lands and having fun as I went.

"We should've expected what happened next. One of my jumps landed me in the strangest place I had ever been to. It was a dark place, with islands made of books and…"

"...murky waters with unknown depths, three-armed creatures wrapped in shabby cloaks, highly aggressive, giant humanoid fish beings, and tentacles seemingly made of ink." This time, all eyes turned to Mikal, who had interrupted Discord's explanation with his own. "You jumped to Apocrypha, the Oblivion Realm of the Daedric Prince of Knowledge, Hermaeus Mora."

"Dearest, how do you know of this place?" Shavee seemed frightened; if her expression were anything to go by, Daedric Princes were not something to be trifled with.

"You remember what I told you of Miraak? How I fought him in Solstheim?" Shavee nodded, recalling the tale. "I was not entirely truthful. Miraak was in Apocrypha, having been claimed by Mora as his champion, and in my pursuit, Mora gave me the knowledge needed to defeat him at the price of the Skald's secrets. Afterwards, Mora killed Miraak, and named me his new champion. I renounced him, of course, but he just chuckled and said 'Time will tell...my champion.'"

His wife was visibly shaken by this, and she clutched him all the tighter. "He can't have you. None of them can."

Discord raised an eyebrow. "'None of them?'"

Mikal let out a heavy sigh. "Ever since my arrival in Skyrim, I have run across a total of twelve Daedric Princes, rulers of their respective Oblivion Realms, including Mora. Out of the twelve, all have claimed me as their champion, and I only respect four. Nocturnal, who is a patron to the Thieves Guild that I lead, Meridia, who gave me a weapon that was and is extremely helpful every time I come across some form of undead, Azura, who gave me her Star and guided me through its recovery, and Sheogorath, simply because I find him somewhat amusing and I'd be stupid not to." Silence reigned in the room as Luna openly gawked at the pale Argonian and Discord had some form of recognition at the Mad God's name. "Sheogorath also sounds like the one that took your powers, Discord. It makes sense, which is terrifying in and of itself. Sheogorath isn't supposed to make sense; he drives people insane and is mad himself."

Discord simply shook his head at the revelation, and continued his story. "In any case, I found myself in Apocrypha, when this huge mass of tentacles with an eyeball appeared…"

 _{Flashback}_

" _You are...new...to me. Why have you come here...creature?"_

 _The draconequus's ears fell, and he put on a shaky grin. He may have been powerful, but even Discord knew when he was outclassed. "N-now, now. No need to get all territorial on me. I'm just jumping around dimensions at random. I-I didn't know I'd end up here."_

 _The writhing mass stared at him, the goat eye of the thing balefully blinking slower than a snail crawled. "...Nonsense...everyone that comes here has...something in common...you are looking for knowledge, are you not?"_

" _U-um, yes! Y-you could say that!" What felt like an eternity passed. Neither being moved, one studying the new creature that had unexpectedly jumped into his realm, and the other simply scared to move. Finally, Discord spoke up. "W-well, I'm sure you're busy, s-so I'll just leave now. Tah!"_

 _He snapped his talons, but nothing happened. Well, that was untrue. Discord felt the familiar surge of chaos energy rushing to shift his position, but before it could do that, it dissipated, torn apart by the very nature of Apocrypha. "You cannot...leave," Mora boomed. "...not without an...exchange...knowledge for knowledge...you gained knowledge...when you arrived, and so...must give me knowledge...to leave…"_

 _Discord nodded, just wanting to get out of there. "O-of course! Well, I'm a draconequus, a spirit of chaos and disharmony with reality-bending powers! Normally I can do as I please, b-but this place is keeping me from doing so; s-stopping the chaos before it can happen." He fidgeted, waiting for a response._

" _How...interesting...you may leave...I will see you again...Draconequus…"_

 _{Flashback End}_

"After he said that, I blacked out and woke up in my world. His words stuck with me, so I convinced everyone to take safety measures: a failsafe spell that would give whoever was taken from our world by a foreign power amnesia, until they found a way to come home. The only reason Lulu even vaguely remembers me is because I had such an impact on everyone's lives. I am very memorable."

Mikal snorted in amusement. "That you are. Despite telling the guards that you're a newly discovered Daedra, they're still gossiping about the creature that killed so bloodily. They don't like you, Discord, so I would advise you to not act so primal next time. You at least can look human."

Ignoring the jab, Discord continued. "It is okay for Lulu to remember me because I have already told Mora about me. He doesn't strike me as the type to want old information. However, the moment she starts remembering, Luna is in danger. No doubt Mora has servants in this world that would try and take her to him. And that is bad, due to what Luna does know that absolutely must be kept secret, no matter what."

Luna spoke up, a bit worried about the predicament she was in. "I...had a breakdown earlier. I mentioned something called the Children of the Night."

"Did you remember anything about them besides the name?"

Luna shook her head. "Aside from you being associated in some way, no."

"Then we are safe," Discord said. "At least for now. Now that you and I have reunited, the memories will slowly start coming back. Tell me the instant you remember anything." The room was silent for a moment. "And you two, stop hiding behind the door. I know you're there."

All eyes turned to the doorway, where two children guiltily stepped out from behind the door. Shavee let out a small sigh. "We have talked for a long while. I will get these two some food and then they will go to bed." Seeing Runa and Alesan begin to protest, Shavee quickly silenced them. "Hsst! No complaining. Go." The children trudged off to their room, and Shavee followed after gathering up some bread and two cups.

Discord stretched and yawned, popping and cracking quite a few bones as he did. "I am exhausted! I don't suppose you would be willing to lend me a bed for the night?"

"No. We only have one guest bed, and Luna is taking it. You will go to the inn and rent out a room for the night. I still don't trust you, so be grateful that I am giving you enough gold to pay for the rent."

"Fine." Discord rolled his eyes and said goodnight to Luna, who was quite amused by Discord, however vague her memories of him were.

She too yawned, and Mikal helped her up from the chair. "Come. I'll take you to your bed."

* * *

Luna shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable. Stone wasn't the best thing to use for a bed, and even with the hay-stuffed mattress it felt very hard. Eventually, she found a good position, and fell asleep.

 _{Luna's Dream}_

 _Luna blinked as she found herself floating in a star-filled landscape. It was very beautiful to look at, and she soon noticed the gray, pitted surface she was slowly falling towards. She landed softly, causing a bit of dust to puff up from the disturbance of her touch down. She recognized the moon, of course, amnesia or no amnesia. To her right, a darkened moonscape stretched onwards, filling her vision as she turned towards it._

" _Hello, Luna. Did you miss me?"_

 _Startled, Luna peered forwards. A pair of cat-like eyes stared back at her. "Who are you?"_

" _Oh, Luna...don't tell me you can't recognize yourself anymore…" And she stepped out of the darkness._

 _Luna gasped. It did look like her. However, this version of her had many noticeable differences. The first was the midnight black skin, and how it seemed to absorb light. The second was the pointed ears, followed by the smile filled with sharp teeth that didn't reach her eyes. The third was the clothing...or lack thereof. Luna could barely call the few scraps of cloth that covered the woman's extremities clothes. This was her and yet...it wasn't. "You...you are not me. Simply because we look somewhat alike-"_

" _What's wrong, Luna? Still in denial...or is it something else?" The woman's eyes gleamed for the briefest of seconds. "I see. You have amnesia from Discord's little failsafe spell. Well, worry not. I won't take advantage...this time. After all, whether it's you or it's me, we must protect the secrets."_

 _Luna blinked, coming out of her shock. "What secrets? Who are you?"_

 _The woman laughed, the lack of mirth making the laughter sound wrong. "The secrets will come to you, little Luna. As for who I am...I am…"_

 _{Markarth, Mikal's house}_

Luna sat up in her bed, with remnants of the dream still lingering. She shuddered as she recalled the way the woman had leaned in and whispered into her ear her name, as though the woman were whispering secrets to a lover. The woman's name fell upon her lips, and escaped into open air.

"Nightmare Moon."

* * *

 _Greetings, everyone. I apologize for making you all wait over a year for this update (well, some of you). Real life, and a combination of my junior and senior years of high school pushed all inspiration from my head. However, I now have the next four months before I'm busy again, so expect one or two more updates before another long wait. Don't worry. I'm going to finish this story if it kills me._

 _jsun25, logging off_


	6. Dovah Lovaas

_This chapter has been edited to fix a location mixup (Katla's Farm to Markarth Stables), incorrect grammar, and incorrect dovahzul._

* * *

The following morning saw Mikal staring at Discord while the faux-human slept. Now, depending on how you read that, you might jump to the conclusion that Mikal had been staring at Discord sleeping all night long and that the Argonian had some sort of attraction to the faux-human, you dirty-minded readers.

This could not be farther from the truth. In fact, Mikal had fallen into bed next to Shavee and promptly wrapped his arms around his wife before drifting off into sleep. When he woke his first thought was to check on Discord, as the vampire still did not fully trust him. So when Mikal ventured down to the Silver-Blood Inn and into the room Discord was sleeping in, he couldn't help but stare. The reason? Not only was Discord sleeping so that his feet were where his head was supposed to be, Discord had sunken into the stone bed as though the stone were not stone but marshland.

Shaking his head and writing it off as the reality manipulation Discord claimed to have (and accepting the claim with the bed as proof), Mikal let a blast of the Frostbite spell slap Discord in the face, the sudden cold startling the trickster awake. "Get up, Discord. It's time to move, and the day burns quickly."

With that, the Argonian turned and left the room, a grumbling Discord following close behind.

* * *

On the way back, Mikal saw a face that he realized hadn't been around since the Argonian had arrived in Markarth. "Argis," he called. "Where have you been?"

The Nord turned at Mikal's voice, simultaneously looking surprised and sheepish at the same time. "My Thane!" he exclaimed. "I, uh…"

Mikal, picking up on the very unmasculine scent wafting from his Housecarl, sighed and shook his head. "The next time you plan on spending the night at your lady friend's house, just tell either I or Shavee. We won't stop you."

Argis just grinned. "Thank you, my Thane. Who's that behind you?"

Mikal snorted. "An annoyance. Listen, Shavee and I are planning to move to Solitude for a while. As long as the house is watched every now and then, I could care less what you do. In fact, have the day off."

Argis's grin grew wider. "Again, thank you, my Thane. I'll be sure to enjoy it." He sauntered off in the same direction he had come from.

"Who was that?" Discord questioned. "Can we trust him?"

"He is my Housecarl here in Markarth. I have one at every home I own. Yes, they're trustworthy, what with fealty and everything sworn to me, but Argis is obviously...distracted. Best to let him get it all out of his system." The two continued on to Mikal's home, with only Discord completely oblivious to the pair of eyes that watched from the shadows.

* * *

After entering the foyer (and dodging the two children that ran outside to play in the streets of Markarth one last time), Mikal and Discord went into the kitchen, where Shavee was preparing a breakfast for the two and Luna was sitting at the table, lost in thought, though she came to when both males entered the room.

"Alright," Mikal began. "With Discord's power drained, he can't...jump, was it? Jump you and himself back to your world. I started thinking about solutions, and I think there may be a few people that can help." Accepting some bread and a mug of water from Shavee, he continued.

"The first is Valerica, at Castle Volkihar. She's Serana's mother, and crafted a portal to the Soul Cairn, which is unique due to the Soul Cairn being in between realms instead of being a realm itself.

"The second is Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold. He's a Master Conjurer, and should know a thing or two about different dimensions.

"The third are the Graybeards, or more specifically their leader, Paarthurnax. They live near the Time-Wound at the Throat of the World, which is a weak point in reality. It would be a last resort option, as we would need the Elder Scrolls."

"Elder Scrolls?" The question came from Luna, who was as curious as Discord looked.

"As best as they've been described to me, the Elder Scrolls are remnants from the creation of all reality. They have a mind of their own, which is why the Time-Wound is a last resort. If the Kelle don't want to be used, we won't be able to do a thing about it."

"What did you say?" The whispered question came from Discord, whose eyes had gone wide and skin had gone pale. "Just now. What did you call them?"

Blinking in confusion, Mikal replied, "The Kelle. It's what Paarthurnax calls them." He frowned, wondering what Discord was getting at. "Is something wrong?"

"My kind, the draconeqi, have existed ever since there was Chaos. Every draconequus gets their own plane of reality to live in. Lulu's world got lucky, really. I may have caused trouble in the past, but everything was always put back to normal when I was defeated. To be honest, all I wanted was to have fun, not permanently harm anyone. There are other draconeqi, however, that are as sadistic as they get.

"Compared to those draconeqi, I'm mild-mannered. For example, the draconequus Malal was one of the Gods of Chaos in a reality called Warhammer. He turned against the other four (or they cast him out - I'm not sure which) and killed any Chaotic creature in Warhammer not associated with him.

"However, that's besides the point. The Kelle...the legends among draconeqi say that our power came from the Kelle, that the Kelle was the first imbued with reality warping abilities, was granted to the first draconequus, Apophis, and was passed down through his descendants until draconequus were born with the power. And you, Mikal...you say you've used one?"

"Actually, I've read three of the Elder Scrolls; one of them I read twice."

Discord sat down hard. "Amazing...even if they aren't needed, I would like to see one...to be able to do so would make me the first since Set."

Mikal nodded in understanding, saying "I see your point. Even here, where they have sprung up multiple times, the Kelle are regarded as little more than myth."

"It seems you are setting yourself up for another doom-driven adventure," Shavee sighed. "I shall gather the children and hire a carriage to Solitude. We will see you there when you are done."

"Actually, dearest, I have a different idea," said Mikal, who was grinning like a loon. "Fetch Alesan and Runa, then meet us at the Markarth Stables. There's something they need to see."

* * *

After Shavee had successfully rounded up the two children, they ventured to the Markarth Stables, where Discord was meeting Shadowmere for the first time.

"Stop that! My hair is not food!"

"Be glad, Discord," Mikal laughed. "It means he likes you and won't try and kill you. And yes, he can kill you. The damn beast has killed dragons without any assistance from anyone!"

For his part, Shadowmere whickered in delight. Animal assassin he may be, but the dark horse enjoyed playing every now and then. Luna spoke up, asking "Why didn't he try and eat my hair?"

"You were unconscious, and in no position to react to his playing." Shadowmere let out a whinny, while at the same time tried to sneak closer to Discord without the faux human noticing. "He says he likes you because smell like a horse, the wind, magic, and...Nocturnal, oddly enough."

"You got that all from a whinny?" questioned Luna, her eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"If horses had a written language, you could fit a book on the blade of an iron dagger," Mikal retorted.

"Pa!"

"Papa!"

Out of nowhere, Alesan and Runa slammed into their father, who relented enough so that the force knocked him down. Growling playfully, he wrapped his arms around the two and stood back up, spinning around with one child under each arm. Alesan laughed joyously while Runa squealed with delight. Luna and Discord watched on, neither of them having really seen this side of the Argonian.

"Many don't, you know." Both foreigners jumped and turned to see Shavee, who had sidled up next to them after stroking Shadowmere's snout in a greeting. "Most see him as a hero, a great warrior, while others in darker circles see him as a thief and assassin."

"And what about you?" asked Luna. "What do you see him as?"

"My husband and a good father," Shavee smiled. "I don't care that he is assassin or thief; Argonians have always been less morally inclined than other races. Only the Khajiit have us beat in that respect."

Alesan and Runa, who had since been put down from their father's arms, looked up expectantly at Mikal. "Ma said you had a surprise for us, Pa. What is it, what is it?" Alesan was practically jumping up in down in excitement, knowing his Pa had brought him some pretty cool gifts in the past (including a wooden sword and practice dummy so Mikal could train him in sword fighting), while Runa had her puppy-dog eyes turned on full force.

"Pretty please tell us, Papa?" Runa hadn't been left out of the gift-giving. Her Papa had brought her a new dress that was green and pretty, and a dolly that he had made himself (Runa named it Lydia, after her Papa's Housecarl in Whiterun. She was really pretty.)

"Well if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" he chuckled. Alesan and Runa were not amused, if the pouting expressions on their faces were anything to go by. "On the other hand, if I _showed_ you your surprise, well…" Instantly the faces of the children lit up, and Mikal couldn't help the grin that grew on his face. "Go stand with your mother, and I'll get your surprise." The two immediately scampered over to Shavee.

Luna leaned over to Shavee and whispered, "What's he doing?"

"I don't know," was the reply. "I know my husband has many abilities, but I've not seen all of them, nor could I guess at what he could summon that would be a suitable present."

At that moment, Mikal Shouted into the sky!

 **"OD AH VIING!"**

The Thu'um resonated through the air, echoing into the wind and across the land. A few moments passed before a low sound was heard. It sounded again, this time sounding like an animal's call. "There he is. Look up, everyone, and you'll see who I'm talking about." They did, and needless to say, everyone's jaw dropped.

For approaching them was a dragon.

* * *

Odahviing was bored.

That's not to say that there was nothing to do at the Throat of the World. There were plenty of goats to eat, and the old dovah to debate with. In fact, after debating with Paarthurnax, the older dovah encouraged him to engage in debate with Argneir. Surprisingly, the old joor was a gifted speaker, even if he did not speak with a dovah's tongue. What was not appreciated was Paarthurnax attempting to teach Odahviing his silly Way of the Voice. As far as the red dovah was concerned, he would not do anything to catch the ire of the Dovahkiin, up to and including exerting his power and dominance over the joore with the exception of the Dovahkiin's enemies. To best Alduin in battle once was a feat in of itself, not seen since the Nords' rebellion. To do it twice, and to kill Alduin the second time, was enough to convince Odahviing and several other dov that the Dovahkiin had the superior Thu'um and was not to be crossed. It could be argued that Odahviing was the Dovahkiin's second-in-command, as Paarthurnax was to Alduin, since Odahviing came to the Dovahkiin's aid when called.

Which went back to the reason that Odahviing was bored. It had been some time since the Dovahkiin had called him, and Odahviing grew restless.

And bored.

"Drem yol lok, Odahviing. You seem...troubled." Ah, there was the old dovah.

"Drem yol lok, Paarthurnax. The Dovahkiin's Thu'um has been quiet. Not once since he left for the land the joore call Solsthiem have I heard his summons."

"Hmm...you sound as though you miss the Dovahkiin."

"Meyz Paarthurnax! I do not miss the Dovahkiin! I am not a hatchling that has lost its mother!"

"Krosis. I was merely stating my mind." Silence reigned between the two dovah before Odahviing spoke again.

"I miss the rush of battle...the smell of blood...and I admit that the Dovahkiin is good company." Odahviing snorted in contempt. "How strange is it, old one, that we are allied with the Dovahkiin, who is supposed to be the slayer of the dov?"

"I believe the joore have a saying for this...fight yol with yol. I find it to be an...interesting concept. Besides," he stated, swinging his head to look at Odahviing. "I am not an ally of the Dovahkiin. Zu'u Dovahkiin fahdon. And I know you are, as well."

Odahviing was grateful that dovah could not blush, for he knew the old dovah's words rang true, though his pride as a dovah would not let him admit it. "Be as it may, I never thought the day would come that I would help a joor in battle. For while he may have dovahsos and dovahsil, he is still joor."

"Nid. The Dovahkiin can die like the joore, but he is dovah, and as he is dovah, he rides the currents of time as we do. He will live long past those he knows."

"He has accepted the curse of the vulonsossunvaar. That does not affect his lifespan?"

"He told me he would rid himself of the curse at tiid vahzah. I do not believe the Dovahkiin would lie about his own state of being."

Before the red dovah could formulate a response, his very being shuddered with a sudden rush of power. His sil tugged in a certain direction, and in his head he heard a voice: _"OD AH VIING."_

The red dovah leapt into the air, his pride demanding he answer the call. "Farewell, Paarthurnax. Zu'u huzrah Dovahkiin bel!"

"Aal Bormahu ofan hi pruzah miiraad!"

Finally, Odahviing's fahdon had returned to his life.

* * *

Odahviing landed in front of Mikal, his very presence spooking the stabled horses. Except Shadowmere of course. The horse assassin didn't mind Odahviing at all. "Drem yol lok, Dovahkiin. It has been some time since you last called my name."

"Drem yol lok, Odahviing," greeted Mikal. "I did not wish to endanger you while I was in Solstheim. Miraak, the First Dragonborn, had returned, and would have used a Shout called Bend Will to turn you to his side. He also knew a Shout that instantly stripped a dragon of its soul."

"Geh," Odahviing snorted. "I know of Miraak. He led the very first rebellion against the dovah thuri. I was but a hatchling then, yet warnings of Miraak still reached me. He is dead, then?"

"Hermaeus Mora killed Miraak after I weakened him in battle. It was...not nice to look at, or remember. But enough of that!" Mikal gestured to the people behind him. "This is my family, my friend, and an associate of hers. You already know Shadowmere."

Odahviing dipped his head in greeting. "It is good to meet those that know the Dovahkiin." He eyed Shavee, who fidgeted under the dragon's gaze. "She is your mate, then? I know not the standards set by joore, but I know you would not make the decision lightly." Alesan and Runa were next, whom were staring slack-jawed at the dragon. "Your hatchlings? But they do not look as you do."

"They are orphans, fahdon. One or both of us is unable to bear children, so Shavee and I took them in and raise them as our own."

"Hmm. The Dovahkiin is your father, young ones?" The two children nodded, still staring. "Then you could not ask for a better father. Yours defeated Alduin twice, after all. No easy task." His eyes turned to Luna. "You...you have a power that I've not seen before. It is like the vulonkrein...the moon, shining bright in the dark. You are not fully joor, are you?"

"I...couldn't tell you. I lost my memory when I woke up in a cell. Sorry...Odahviing, was it?"

"Geh. Krosis. May Bormahu see fit to restore your mind." Finally, Odahviing turned to Discord. "Lot. A follwer of Folaashahdrim Rah."

"Fola-who now?"

"The ones the joore call Sheogorath. You reek of madness and tahrovin...chaos."

"I do not follow Sheogorath! I am Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony! If it weren't for that stupid idiot draining me of my power, I'd show you _exactly_ what I can do!"

Odahviing's reply was blunt: "Words are meaningless without power behind them, Vodrem." With that, Odahviing redirected his gaze to Mikal, leaving Discord spluttering. "As I said, it is good to meet those that know you, Dovahkiin. But I assume there was a reason for calling me besides showing me off like a prize."

"Oh, you are not a prize to show off, Odahviing. You are a dovah! The most regal and powerful of creatures to grace the lands of Nirn!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Dovahkiin," deadpanned Odahviing, though he clearly enjoyed the praise.

"But it works," Mikal laughed. He then turned to Alesan and Runa. "Now, then...how would you two like to see Skyrim through the eyes of a dragon?"

Shavee, sensing what he was about to do, interrupted. "Mikal, no."

"Mikal, yes."

"I understand that the dragon is your ally, but I will _not_ let our children go so high up that they may fall to their deaths!" she snapped.

"Do you not trust the ability of my viings, my wings, Kiim Dovahkiin? And how will you stop a dov, a dragon, from doing as it pleases?" Odahviing's voice was already low, but the growl that seeped in made it even lower. He drew himself up, causing the dovah to look bigger than he already was. "It is only out of respect to the Dovahkiin that I do not act upon the insult you have delivered. Zu'u Od Ah Viing. Hi meyz joor."

Mikal quickly stepped in between the two. "Easy. _Both_ of you. Odahviing, she meant nothing by it. It is a mother's duty to worry for her children, and has been since the world was created. Probably before then, too. Shavee, never doubt a dragon. It's an insult to their pride, which is the most valuable thing a dragon can have." Shavee nodded and backed off, while Odahviing snorted but relented the aggressive stance he had taken.

"Um, mister dragon?" Odahviing turned his head to see Runa, who had gotten closer without anyone noticing. "What are you speaking?"

Odahviing blinked, a bit taken aback at the question. "Dovahzul...the dragon tongue. It is how we dovah Shout, including your bormah...your father."

"Can anyone learn it?"

"Hmm...to simply speak the dovahzul, yes. To Shout it...you would be better learning from Paarthurnax, mentor to many students of the Thu'um, or Storm Voice, as the ancient Nords called it." Runa tilted her head, as though thinking about something.

"What about your name? Does it mean something?"

"Geh. Yes. Od Ah Viing - Snow Hunter Wing, or Winged Snow Hunter. I was named such for my ability to hunt in the snow and ice, despite the coloring of my scales."

"It's a very nice name. What about what you keep calling Papa?"

Odahviing was beginning to see why Paarthurnax taught young ones. Their curiosity seemed unending, and answering their questions was oddly satisfying. "Dovahkiin? It is Dragonborn in your tongue, literally Born to Hunt Dragons."

"And what you said when you first got here?"

"Drem yol lok. Greetings. The words themselves are peace fire sky. It is said from one to another as a show of nonaggression...hm! Heheh...Ah hahahahahahaha!" The deep, booming laugh that sprang from Odahviing's throat startled everyone. "Oh, but she is a clever one, Dovahkiin! To think that a goraan joor, a young mortal, would remind a dovah the meaning of the dovahzul!" He craned his head back to Shavee. "Krosis, Kiim Dovhakiin. Apologies, Wife of the Dragonborn. I have forgotten my place and my rot, my words. Do remember that to insult a dovah's kah, his pride, is the worst insult you can deliver."

Shavee bowed her head in understanding, forgiveness, and apology. "I apologize as well, Odahviing. It is as my husband says: a mother worries about her children before anything else."

"So does that mean we get to ride him?" Alesan's outburst really couldn't've been helped. As a young boy, he thought dragons were pretty cool, and not only was one right in front of him and talking, there was a chance he would get to ride the dragon!

"You assume quickly, Kendov. I never said that I would allow you to ride me."

Alesan sagged with disappointment, but perked when he remembered the unfamiliar word. "Ken what?"

"Kendov. Warrior. You are eager like one, and you carry a wooden weapon. You are the brawn, while your briinah, your sister, is the clever one."

"Hey, I'm not stupid!"

"Krosis. I never said you were. But your briinah was the one that reminded me of my words. There are many great kendov that also had brilliant minds for strategy, so do not take what I said to heart. I am merely stating my mind." The dragon turned his head to Mikal, who had watched the ordeal with a smile on his snout. "I assume that I will be carrying the goraan?"

"Yes, please. I believe they will enjoy it, and would be faster than taking a carriage to Solitude."

"Ah. Krosis, but I cannot carry all of you. The two goraan, yes, but only one other after that."

"Shavee. That way she can be with the children and not have to worry about them."

"Pruzah. But what of yourself and the other two?" (Luna had been holding back a fuming Discord from giving Odahviing a piece of his mind, and had kept quiet, not wanting to draw attention. Discord was simply muttering under his breath.)

"There is another dragon I can call for aid. But I won't do it until you leave. Two dragons in the same place will attract attention, not all of it good."

"Hmm. Very well." Odahviing lowered his body, and with Mikal's help, Alesan, Runa, and Shavee were all comfortably seated on the red dovah's body. "Hold tight, Brod Dovahkiin. It will not be gentle."

And with that, they were in the air, with shrieks of joy, fear and ecstasy coming from the three passengers. Soon, Odahviing was a speck in the distance, heading for Solitude.

"Finally, he's gone! Stupid, overbearing, overgrown lizard with wings!" Discord's voice had now reached normal levels, and Luna no longer had to hold him back.

She sighed, feeling as though this was normal for Discord. "Discord, you can't possibly think you could've fought him and won, especially since he's Mikal's friend."

"I don't care. He made fun of me."

Mikal called to them, "If you two would stop bickering for a minute, I could introduce you to my other dragon friend. Though, uh, you may find him a bit...disgusting." Before either could comment, Mikal looked at the ground, and released another Shout!

 **"DUR NEH VIIR!"**

* * *

 _Ten pages. Not counting this Author's Note, this chapter is ten pages long. I really need to make sure that all my future chapters don't become novels themselves._

 _So it was really hard to write Odahviing. We just don't get enough dialogue from him, but I feel like I did good._

 _Dovhazul used (that wasn't translated in the story)  
Meyz: Fool  
Tiid: Time  
Dovahsos: Dragon blood or blood of the dragon  
Dovahsil: Dragon soul or soul of the dragon  
Fahdon: Friend  
Vulonsossunvaar: Vampire, literally night blood creature  
Vahzah: Right, correct  
Zu'u huzrah Dovahkiin bel!: I answer (the) Dragonborn's call!  
Aal Bormahu ofan hi pruzah miiraad!: May Akatosh grant you safe passage!, literally May Akatosh give you good path!  
Thuri: Master, overlord  
Folaashadrim Rah: Mad God, literally Wrong Mind God  
Vodrem: Discord  
Kiim Dovahkiin: Wife of the Dragonborn, literally Wife Dragonborn  
Brod Dovahkiin: Family of the Dragonborn, literally Family Dragonborn  
Pruzah: Good  
Lot: Great_

 _I've started an askblog on tumblr. If you have any question that you'd like to ask the characters of the story, find theoneandonlylordmonkeyknight on tumblr and submit it._

 _Alright, I think that's it. Thanks for reading my story!_

 _theoneandonlylordmonkeyknight, logging off (and slowly going crazy.)_


End file.
